SOUTH AFRICA’S LOW-EMISSION DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY 2050

South Africa's Low-Emission Development Strategy (SA LEDS) 2050 establishes a framework to place the country on a low-carbon trajectory while ensuring socio-economic development. The strategy focuses on a 'peak, plateau and decline' (PPD) emissions trajectory, with a peak projected between 2020 and 2025. Key interventions span the energy sector (diversifying the electricity mix via the Integrated Resource Plan and REIPPP), industry (energy efficiency and carbon taxes), AFOLU (conservation agriculture and afforestation), and waste (waste-to-energy and recycling). The document emphasizes a 'Just Transition' to protect vulnerable workers and communities, supported by research into hydrogen, fuel cells, and carbon capture and storage. Implementation relies on a combination of domestic funding and international climate finance.

• South Africa's greenhouse gas emissions increased by approximately 19 percent between 2000 and 2012, rising from 434 Mt CO2e to 518 Mt CO2e.
• The energy sector is the primary source of emissions in South Africa, accounting for 68 percent of total emissions in 2012.
• South Africa aims for a 'peak, plateau and decline' (PPD) emissions trajectory, with emissions peaking between 2020 and 2025, plateauing from 2026 to 2035, and declining from 2036 onwards.
• The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPP) has procured 6,376 MW of capacity across six bidding rounds, primarily from wind (3,365 MW) and solar PV (2,322 MW).
• The government intends to implement a carbon tax set at R120 per tonne of CO2e, utilizing a 'polluter pays' principle with a basic percentage-based threshold of 60% to assist business transition.
• In the AFOLU sector, the government proposes afforesting 100,000 hectares of land in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape to sequester approximately 1.2 million tonnes of carbon.
• The waste sector experienced the highest growth in emissions of all key sectors, increasing by 78 percent between 2000 and 2012, with landfill methane emissions contributing 84 percent of the sector's total.
• South Africa's adaptation investment needs for 20202050 are estimated to have a median value of US$ 50 billion, while long-term mitigation costs are estimated at US$ 1,353 billion.
• The 'Just Transition' framework aims to prevent net job losses through the National Employment Vulnerability Assessment (NEVA) and Sector Job Resilient Plans (SJRPs).

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2018). SOUTH AFRICA’S LOW-EMISSION DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY 2050. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/South-Africas-Low-Emission-Development-Strategy-2050.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. SOUTH AFRICA’S LOW-EMISSION DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY 2050. 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/South-Africas-Low-Emission-Development-Strategy-2050.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=SOUTH AFRICA’S LOW-EMISSION DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY 2050 |date=December 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/South-Africas-Low-Emission-Development-Strategy-2050.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrights2018south, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{SOUTH AFRICA’S LOW-EMISSION DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY 2050}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2018}, month = dec, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/South-Africas-Low-Emission-Development-Strategy-2050.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }